Newsletter

'Man of Constant Sorrow' sheds light on Alison Krauss, 82 Grammys

Alison Krauss & Union Station perform at the Savannah Civic Center on April 4.

Between them, Alison Krauss and members of Union Station have won an astonishing 82 Grammy Awards. You read that right — 82.

“We all have ones collectively and all have them individually,” says band member Dan Tyminski. “When it’s for an album, it depends. Sometimes everyone gets one, and sometimes it’s one that has to be shared.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLm7-KrQdM

Ten of those Grammy awards belong solely to Tyminski, a bluegrass composer, vocalist and instrumentalist best known for his updated version of “Man of Constant Sorrow,” which was featured in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” In 2001, it was chosen Best Single by the Country Music Association and also won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.

In addition to the albums he has recorded as a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station, Tyminski has released two solo albums, “Carry Me Across the Mountain” and “Wheels.” He began playing guitar at age five.

“I had parents who loved to go and listen to live music,” Tyminski says. “I tagged along from my earliest memories.

“The first instrument I played was guitar. I learned a couple of chords. Shortly after that, my older brother came home on leave from the Navy and had a mandolin with him that he left with me.”

At 12, Tyminski heard a banjo record by J.D. Crowe that transformed him.

“It is easily the reason I still play music,” Tyminski says.

“I’m self-taught to the point of developing some really bad habits that I still cling to tenaciously today,” he says. “Everyone who has his own style has his own reasons.”

But Tyminski isn’t known just as a multi-instrumentalist. “My earliest memory is my parents putting me on the phone and singing to my grandparents,” Tyminski says. “My dad has recordings of me singing and me having no recollection of the song or the words.

“I was very small when I knew I was a musician, probably just 8 or 9 years old. I knew I loved it and was told by everyone around me that it was my gift.”

Tyminski was named Male Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association four times and in 2004 was chosen the Male Vocalist of the Year by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.

The first band Tyminski belonged to was Green Mountain Bluegrass, which he founded with his brother.

“We toured up and down the East Coast before I joined the Lonesome River Band,” he says.

When the Lonesome River Band recorded “Looking for Yourself,” Krauss heard the recording and was impressed with Tyminski’s singing and playing. “That’s how I got noticed,” he says. “It was the right place, the right time.”

Tyminski has played guitar and mandolin with Alison Krauss & Union Station since 1994. His bluegrass style blends traditional and pop traditions. Krauss plays fiddle, and she and Tyminski both sing lead vocals. Other band members are Barry Bales on bass and harmony vocals; Ron Block on banjo, guitar and harmony vocals; and Jerry Douglas on Dobro and harmony vocals.

The band is touring in support of its latest album, “Paper Airplane,” which won the Best Bluegrass Grammy, and will perform April 4 at the Johnny Mercer Theater.

While Tyminski loves playing live, he also enjoys recording and writing songs.

“There are a lot of different areas you have to have for it to be complete,” he says. “When we make a record, I’m very anxious to take it on the road.

“When we’re touring, I’m anxious to get into the studio. I love recording, I love playing live.

“I think the things I’m probably most proud of are the recordings, because those tend to live on,” Tyminski says. “I probably put the most of myself into the recordings.”

What impresses a multi-Grammy winner? One of Tyminski’s most memorable experiences as a musician was playing on — brace yourselves — “Sesame Street.”

“I was a ‘Sesame Street’ kid,” Tyminski says. “I grew up with ‘Sesame Street’ and loved all the characters.

“I got to play music with the Count, the same man who taught me to count when I was a little kid,” he says. “It was a fascinating experience to be on the set and see all those characters and the inner workings of that show.”

Tyminski is looking forward to playing Savannah, and hopes fans will turn out to see Alison Krauss & Union Station live.

“For me growing up, it was all about live music,” he says. “When it comes to music played live versus recorded music, it comes in a completely different way.

“As long as you get to see it live and in person, there is nothing else in the world like it.”

The Savannah Morning News is giving away a pair of front-row tickets to the show — no lie! Go to www.savannahnow.com/contests to enter. A winner will be chosen March 31 and also will receive an autographed copy of “Paper Airplane.”